You may need to look beyond just the fat, carbohydrates and calories in your food, and also take note of the nutrients you’re getting as well.
Taking the right combination of nutrients that are not only essential for good health but also have the added benefit of aiding in weight management can greatly increase your chance of success.
Here’s what recent research says about these double-duty performers:
Calcium – Long known for its role in building and maintaining strong bones, calcium also has a weight loss connection. When women who are deficient in calcium took 1,200 mg of calcium daily, they lost 4 times as much weight as those who took a placebo. (1)
Vitamin D – In addition to its numerous health benefits, from immune-boosting to bone-building, recent research suggests that people who have high levels of vitamin D at the start of a diet lose more weight. (2)
Capsaicin –This spicy chemical found in foods such as salsa and hot peppers appears to offer a multi-pronged approach. Studies have shown that it may ease your appetite, decrease the hunger-promoting hormone ghrelin, increase thermogenesis (a biological process involved in burning calories), and help fight the buildup of body fat. (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Chromium – An essential trace mineral, chromium helps regulate glucose and increase the effectiveness of insulin. It also may help reduce cravings and enhance the body’s fat-burning metabolism. (8)
Green Tea – In the past few years, green tea has been linked to everything from protection against cancer, heart disease, dementia and diabetes to lowered cholesterol levels, but among green tea’s most researched benefits has been its role in weight loss. (9)
Probiotics – Studies have found that probiotics (good bacteria) can play a role in weight loss. A study from Japan showed that supplementation with a probiotic drink could reduce abdominal fat by 4.6%, and subcutaneous fat by 3.3%. (10)
Prebiotics – These indigestible starches and fibers feed probiotic organisms (good bacteria) and help them thrive in your intestinal tract. They also may lead to weight loss by suppressing levels of hormones linked to hunger, says a new study from Canada. Overweight women who took a prebiotic supplement lost an average of 2 pounds over 12 weeks compared with those on a placebo (who actually gained weight). (11)
Omega-3 Fatty acids – Omega-3 fatty acids have been consistently shown to increase body metabolism by helping to increase the activity of your fat-burning enzymes. The best sources of omega-3s are cold-water fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, cod and sardines, or in fish oil supplements. (12)
Water – While not technically a nutrient, this often overlooked staple can be hidden key to weight management. Researchers found that drinking 6 cups (48 ounces) of cold water a day can raise resting metabolism by about 50 calories daily, or enough to shed 5 pounds in a year. Drinking it cold means that your body has to work to heat the water to body temperature. (For further benefit, add lemon: the lemon keeps your digestive system active, continuing the “dietary induced thermogenesis.”) (13)
In addition, scientists report results of a new clinical trial confirming that just two 8-ounce glasses of the water, taken before meals, enables people to shed pounds. (14)
Multivitamin – The list of reasons to take a complete daily multivitamin is already long (see
The Importance of Supplements), but here’s another: In a recent study, multivitamins and minerals were associated with significantly lower body weight, body mass index and fat mass (15)
You can start with a complete daily nutritional supplement, such as
Basic Nutrient Support®, which supplies the full range of vitamins, minerals and 7 nutritional complexes, including the vitamin D, calcium, chromium, prebiotic compounds, omega-3 fatty acids, and green tea extract mentioned above. (
Digestion Support supplies probiotics as well as additional prebiotic compounds.)
1. British Journal of Nutrition. 2009 Mar;101(5):659-63. Major GC, Alarie FP, Doré J, Tremblay A. “Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and fat mass loss in female very low-calcium consumers: potential link with a calcium-specific appetite control.”
2. The Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. http://www.endo-society.org/media/ENDO-09/Research/Successfulweightlosswithdieting.cfm
3. Galgani JE, Ravussin E. "Effect of dihydrocapsiate on resting metabolic rate in humans." Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;92(5):1089-93.
4. Joo JI, Kim DH, Choi JW, Yun JW. "Proteomic analysis for antiobesity potential of capsaicin on white adipose tissue in rats fed with a high fat diet." J Proteome Res. 2010 Jun 4;9(6):2977-87.
5. Reinbach HC, Smeets A, Martinussen T, Møller P, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. "Effects of capsaicin, green tea and CH-19 sweet pepper on appetite and energy intake in humans in negative and positive energy balance." Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;28(3):260-5.
6. Smeets AJ, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. "The acute effects of a lunch containing capsaicin on energy and substrate utilisation, hormones, and satiety." Eur J Nutr. 2009 Jun;48(4):229-34.
7. Westerterp-Plantenga M, Diepvens K, Joosen AM, Bérubé-Parent S, Tremblay A. "Metabolic effects of spices, teas, and caffeine." Physiol Behav. 2006 Aug 30;89(1):85-91.
8. Anton SD, Morrison CD, Cefalu WT, et al. Effects of chromium picolinate on food intake and satiety. Diabetes Technol Ther. Oct 2008;10(5):405-412.
9. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Apr;18(4):773-9. Epub 2009 Aug 13. “Effects of catechin enriched green tea on body composition.” Wang H, Wen Y, Du Y, Yan X, Guo H, Rycroft JA, Boon N, Kovacs EM, Mela DJ.
10. Y. Kadooka et al., ‘Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial’. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010, Vol. 64, No. 6, pp 636 – 643.
11. Jill A Parnell and Raylene A Reimer, Am J Clin Nutr June 2009 vol. 89 no. 6 1751-1759 “Weight loss during oligofructose supplementation is associated with decreased ghrelin and increased peptide YY in overweight and obese adults”
12. Alison M Hill, et al. Combining fish-oil supplements with regular aerobic exercise improves body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors Am J Clin Nutr May 2007 85: 5 1267-1274
13. Michael Boschmann, et al. Water-Induced Thermogenesis JCEM 2003 88: 6015-6019; doi:10.1210/jc.2003-030780
14. American Chemical Society (2010, August 23). Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control
15. International Journal of Obesity. 2010 Jun;34(6):1070-7. Y. Li, C.H. Sun, et al. “The effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women.” 
